The Longest And Oldest Love Story
by xLiebexAmour
Summary: This is a love story, and I've done my best, but I didn't have all the right tools so there might be some history inaccuracy, since I'm aware of my flaw I tried to include as little historical accuracy as possible without tainting the story.
1. Return To The Past 1

Akana laid restless in her bed, she knew that at this time her maid, Mut, has already bed. Akana hated herself for eavesdropping, her father, the pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt, has always taught her honesty, then again, with so many siblings, maybe that was the only way he could get all of them to tell the truth.

"_she's of age, Mensah. This will settle the dispute between you and Rome_"

Akana knew who was speaking to her father, as soon as he said the pharaoh's first name. Only the pharaoh's highest general, Panahasi, calls the pharaoh by his first name.

"_Hmm_" was all that the pharaoh responded, Akana picked up the anxiety in his tone, she walked away quickly after that, to her bed chamber. Pondering what this all meant.

There has been a dispute between Rome and Egypt for a long time now, this has been the topic amongst the servant's lips for ages, rumors have been flowing around Egypt about the Roman leader, Abelardus. He was a wary old man who could not take care of anything, it was his son and heir to the throne, Atilius, who has been traveling all over doing what his father couldn't. It was just a matter of time before Abelardus dies and Atilius succeeds.

Akana stared into her mirror which sat right across her bed, she saw her reflection in the mirror, the Egyptian princess with no kohl on her eyes, no wig to wear, no jewelry, somehow, she found herself despicably ugly. She couldn't imagine herself being wanted by any man, unless arranged marriage, because of her status. She was just a few months shy of 16, perfect age for marriage, as Panahasi said.

Akana felt sleep drifting over her again, which she gladly embraced, she blew out her candle and fell asleep to the scent of the incense around her room.


	2. The Gut Feeling 2

The next morning Akana woke up, later than she had anticipated, she felt movement around her, Mut, her maid, was already laying out her clothes for the day, she had also prepared a shower following her make up. Akana got up unwillingly, and noticed that Mut seemed more active than usual, which was rare, since Mut was probably the most active person she knew.

"What's the occasion?" Akana asked while yawning, she could barely keep her eyes open, it was a warm morning, she was excused from all her lessons today with her tutor, Imhotep, and just wanted to relax.

"You do not know?" Mut stared at the princess with her huge green eyes, which Akana joked that it made Mut look like a cat, a beautiful and funny one, of course.

Akana shook her head slowly, cautiously; she had the feeling that there was a reason why she was excused from class.

"The Romans are coming, here, to Egypt."

"When?"

"Tonight!" Akana suddenly felt like an idiot.

* * *

Theo found a nice shady spot below a tree and sat there, opening his bag and found whatever survived through the journey, surprisingly; it tasted decent, actually, better than decent.

The sun in Egypt sure was bright, just like Atilius had promised; he seemed to settle down quite well here, much better than Theo.

Theo looked around, squinting his eyes, his dark brown remained still in the wind, unlike many other Romans, he kept his hair short, very short, he was unusually built as well, he had broad shoulders, and light blue eyes, it was like looking into the shores of an ocean on a sunny day. He stood at an average height of 5'10", and was very athletic, perhaps that came from his long days as a warrior and his short days as one of the highest ranked generals in all of Rome, he was considered the right hand man of Abelardus, the king."That looks good." A voice interrupted his thoughts, Atilius, the son of the king and the heir to the throne, also Theo's longest and best friend, walked over and joined him. Theo considered sharing his food but figured that long as Atilius didn't ask, he didn't have to.

"How close are we?" Theo asked, chewing slowly, he looked ahead and took in the beautiful view of Egypt; it certainly was different from Rome, there was sand almost everywhere, trees weren't hard to find but there certainly weren't a lot of them.

"Close, we'll arrive there by tonight, I already have a messenger to inform the king that we're arriving. By the sunset, sooner or later."

"You know, in Egypt, kings are called pharaohs." Theo finished his food and got up, Atilius looked up at him before getting up himself and chasing after Theo, just like they had done all their childhood.

Akana wondered around the palace, noticing that the servants were busier than usual, a lot busier, and there was a lot more servants than usual. She felt useless in such a busy surrounding; she knew that even though this was going to be a grand night, her father was still doing hearings in the court, always loyal to his people, perhaps that's why Pharaoh Mensah was considered one of the greatest pharaohs in Egypt. Knowing that she wouldn't see her father till at least noon, she walked to her favoriate spot in the palace, it was in the garden, but a spot that most people, aside from Mut, did not know about. She sat facing the huge pond, which had many different fishes swimming in it, Akana practiced her rock throwing skill for a long time before she realized that it was noon, and she should probably go and find her father.

Walking down the long corridor, she suddenly heard a voice that she never welcomed, Banafrit's voice was just down the hall, Akana could already see the red gown that Banafrit always wore, which was inappropriate because only royalty could wear red, Banafrit was no royalty, she was merely a second cousin to the pharaoh, but she acts as if she's the crown queen of the pharaoh.

Akana wrinkled her nose at the unwanted meeting, but kept walking anyway, she stiffed her shoulder and her eyes staring straight ahead, hoping that maybe Banafrit was too busy yapping to notice her.

No such luck.

"Akana!" Banafrit's sultry voice booms, Akana reluctantly turns around, only to see Banafrit's old face staring back at her, smiling that horrible smile. "Why are you not dressed properly? Do you not know we have important guests tonight?"

"I do know."

"Please dress nicely, we do not want to give the guests a bad impression of Egyptian royalty."

_Which doesn't include you,_ thought Akana.

"If you'll pardon me, I have to go and find my father, we do not want to delay me any longer as I still have to get dressed." And with that, she walked away; knowing that she did was inappropriate and somewhat rude.

* * *

Theo was amazed at how beautiful an Egyptian sunset was, mainly because the sun was fully in view when it sets, it turned from a beautiful glowing yellow to a fiery orange, then a passionate red, almost a burgundy, before it disappears for good, darkening the sky with it. Theo could already see the palace in which the pharaoh lives at, he felt nervous and excited at the same time, this was as much Atilius's mission as his, they were here to settle the dispute between the two, they were two of the most powerful countries in the world, and if their dispute was settled and they joined hands, they would be unstoppable in the world, however, if they chose to fight each other, the world would be tainted with human blood.

"You know, I heard something from a servant back in Rome." Atilius caught up with him, riding his black horse, their speed was gradually decreasing.

"What's that?" Theo looked over to his friend, who kept his eyes ahead,

"That the daughter of the pharaoh, the only daughter, was supposedly the most beautiful girl anyone will ever set eyes on."  
"Yeah, right. That's what they say about all the female royalty, if they don't they will be executed." Theo replied, it was true, the Roman princess, Atilius' sister, Adrastita, was indeed a beauty, but she didn't have the unique, one of a kind beauty, Theo had made mental comparisons, if she walked down the street without her fancy clothes and jewelry and layers of make up, she wouldn't look any special.

"We will see, my friend, I have a feeling that what we bring back this trip will be more than a peace treaty."  
Atilius' gut feelings were usually right.


	3. Egpytians Know How To Throw A Feast 3

Theo changed his clothes, as did pretty much everyone, the servants were surprised at how little a crowd the prince decided to bring, it was a crowd of more or less 10 men, usually princes travel in huge packs, for more reasons that just safety.

The Egyptian palace was different in structure and atmosphere compared to the coliseums and such in Rome, but the setting was the same, servants scrambling around carrying things and giving and taking orders, they all bowed at their foreign guests, Theo felt almost privileged to be here, and he was. His life story was one that many people did not know, and he did not prefer to share, those that know know, and those that didn't know did not know for a reason. He prefers to keep it that way.

Atilius walked forward, he felt excited, this was what he was born and raised to do, he was breed to greet foreign leaders, exchange peace treaties and settle disputes. This was his destiny, and he felt more than empowered, he felt like he had just gained an immense amount of energy, and could not wait to show off his excellent Egyptian speaking skills.

As they walked into the main hall, where a lavish dinner awaited them, Atilius wondered if business would be first, second or in between, either way, this matter would not be settled over a few small talk at dinner, he was here for a period of time, how long exactly, he wasn't sure, but he knew it'd be a few month before he'd set feet on Rome soil again.

Atilius and his crewmen could hear the loud chatter already from the hall, they had already smelled the food, and could also smell along with it the famous Egyptian incense.

* * *

When they walked in, the entire hall went quiet, that meant around 200 people, servants and royalty, went quiet, Atilius was happy that he had this kind of power, and it gave him confidence, not that he didn't already have.

Theo walked closely behind him, keeping his eyes ahead, no distractions, on the battlefield if you blink you could get killed, and while this wasn't a battlefield, it gave him the same nervous feeling. He was carrying no visible weapon, as it would offend his host.

"I am Atilius, son of Abelardus, ruler of Rome." Atilius bowed, a very low bow, his crewmen quickly followed, their toga grazing the ground.

The pharaoh lifted his left hand, signaling them to rise. Atilius finally got a good look at the pharaoh, he was not disappointed.

The pharaoh was indeed an old man, in his mid 40s at least, if not early 50s. He wore a Khepresh, it had a gold ring wrapped around it, symbolizing a snake, but that was not what caught Atilius' eye. It was the vivid blue color, deep as the ocean, like the color of a blue diamond, he felt hypnotized by it.

"You have come a long way, come, eat with us, business can be put aside until tomorrow, you must be tired." The pharaoh said, he even sounded wise, noted Atilius.

Atilius, Theo and their men took their place near the pharaoh, and did as they were told.

Not long after they had taken their seats, the hall silenced again.

"I'm sorry to say this, but my daughter, she is about to arrive."  
Atilius waited for this for a long time, he has wanted to see what the beautiful Egyptian princess looks like, Theo, while he will not admit it, is curious as well.

In walked a beautiful floating figure in white, she was wearing a white dress that had a tight fitting top, cutting just around her chest, emphasizing them but not revealing, the bottom was loose fitting, it surrounded her like a pool of water, and on the waist of the dress there was surrounding of red rubies with many other gems embedded in it.

At that precise moment, Atilius could swear he heard everyone drew in their breathe at the exact same time, the girl was skinny, so skinny that he was sure he could wrap his arms around her, her tiny waist was emphasized by the jeweled belt.

* * *

Akana walked in the hall, and cursed in her head when the hall went quiet, her father must've announced her coming. She took in a deep breath and decided that she might as well make a grand entrance. The pharaoh would expect as much anyway, she walked in the center of the hall, holding her head up high and looking straight ahead, while taking quick glances around the room. Suddenly a group of men caught her eye.

They weren't Egyptian that much was sure; they sat together, awkwardly trying to fit in with the surrounding Egyptians. Akana held her laughter and almost looked away when she saw him.  
His gaze was fixed on her, there was nothing that could've torn it away, and his eyes were such a bright hue of blue that she couldn't help but keep looking, suddenly she heard a familiar voice whispering and was snapped back to reality. She looked forward again, walked up to the pharaoh and lowered her head in respect, he nodded, and Akana took her rightful place beside her father.

"Let the feast begin."

* * *

Akana was sure that that night she got herself full on the wine that she kept on drinking. She barely touched the food. Akana found herself unable to look away from that man, the Roman man. He, unlike her, downed plate after plate of food, at least someone was enjoying the feast, she thought to herself.

By late night, the feast was still going as strong, and the pharaoh was busy mingling with his people, Akana excused herself from the festivities and went back to her chamber, some of the Romans has disappeared too, including the blue eyed man. Akana went to her room and took off her heavy jewelry and her wig, she laughed at her reflection in the mirror, the person before and the person after was two different people dressed in the same clothes.

The palace was still busy, Akana had nothing better to do so she went back to the pond, her most private space, where she let her thoughts run wild.

* * *

Theo could not take his eyes off of her, and he didn't, the rest of the night he kept stealing glances at her, she bared almost no physical resemblances to the pharaoh, she was much more beautiful, he felt like he could barely catch his breathe when he saw her. Theo noticed that Atilius was reacting the same way, the two men was similar in more than just personality. Theo and Atilius shared a secret, a secret that if gotten out could put all of Rome in chaos.

Feeling like he could eat no more, Theo and Atilius both excused themselves from the pharaoh, the rest of their men decided to stay a bit more, one of their comrades, Pius, was flirting with a woman that seemed around his age, if not older. Pius was a men of twenty plus ten, quite old compared to all the other men present.

"That king of Egypt sure knows how to throw a feast huh?" Atilius laugh wholeheartedly, Theo responded with a fake laugh, he didn't bother trying to correct Atilius, all he wanted was to be alone right now. Theo remembered passing by a garden and knew that he'd get the privacy he needed there.

Atilius went back to his room and called it a night, Theo walked into the garden and found a place by the pond.

* * *

Akana sat by the pond when she heard a sudden movement behind her, she turned around in an instant, her heart beating loudly in her chest. It wasn't a guard or a servant, they would all be at the feast right now, quietly she got up, and followed the sound she heard. She kept walking until the sound stopped suddenly, she stopped as well, trying to figure out what was going on when suddenly she felt a sharp tip at her neck, right at where her pulse was.

Suddenly she saw herself staring into a familiar pair of blue eyes.


	4. Peace and Protect 4

Theo's heart nearly missed a beat; he would've penetrated the deadly blade into her throat just because of the shock. He quickly drew back his knife, and bowed to the princess.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, Theo was a bit shocked by the question, it wasn't like the garden belonged only to her.

"I just found it, and it's nice, sitting here." He replied in Egyptian, to his surprise, she smiled at him, the smile melt his heart.  
"Yeah, it is." He saw the moonlight reflecting in her brown eyes, her black hair barely moving by the wind. She started walking and found a spot beside the pond and dipped her feet in it, Theo wasn't sure if he should sit beside her, or stand. "Come, sit." She indicated, he sat beside her and dipped his feet in the cold water, it felt nice.

"I'm Akana, I don't have to tell you who I am." She said, Theo realized that he was a good head taller than her, she could've easily rested her head on his shoulder.

"You don't, I know who you are."

"What are you and the crown prince doing here?" Theo felt her arm brushing his, he looked over and noticed how tiny she was, she had a petite frame, but she wasn't skinny like most girls in Rome, who could only care about how much thinner they have gotten. The Egyptian princess definitely had some meat on her bones, but she looked like Venus nonetheless.

"To settle the dispute, to save bloodshed." He answered simply, he wasn't really sure how else to answer he. Theo was a warrior, he was taught to think like one, and his opinion on this whole unsettlement between Egypt and Rome was only from a warrior's point of view.

"I do not get it, why do men have to fight? They die, and what for?" Akana said, he could tell that she's lost someone in a war; there was bitterness and sadness in her tone. She looked over to him, expecting an answer, as if his answer could prevent more wars.

"I don't know, that's just how kings and pharaohs settle things. It works, doesn't it?" Akana smiled, "I make you laugh, why?"

"You're the only person who doesn't talk to me as if I will chop your head off. You are not afraid of me."

"I know I should." Theo replied, "I apologize."

"What for?"

"For almost killing you, and for sitting here like this, you are a princess, I am a servant. I should not be sitting beside you." He replied, he realized that she has been staring at him for quite a while, her black hair falling down to her chest, the white dress looked even more gorgeous in the moonlight.

"For almost killing me, no one has to know that, as long as you don't do it again." Akana replied, she was laughing even more now, "but for sitting here like this, being my friend. I thank you."

Suddenly a cold wind brushed past them, Theo felt the goosebumps on Akana, she was sitting closer to him than before now, her skin was colder and she had taken her feet out of the water.

"You are cold, you should go back to your bedchambers, I do not want me to be the reason that you are sick."

"No, stay, with me. I'll be fine, you are very warm, just stay close to me." Theo wasn't sure how to respond, but from her it sounded more like a command, so he stayed. Akana took his arm and put it over her shoulder, she rested her head on his shoulder. Theo merely followed her directions, at that moment, he felt as if the entire garden was gone.

* * *

Theo and Atilius walked side by side to the main court, where the pharaoh, along with his advisors and generals, will discuss the matter that the Romans came to do. Atilius couldn't help but wonder where Theo was last night, he did not return to the room until later after midnight, Theo couldn't give an answer, so he dodged the question. Atilius, knowing his best friend, didn't chase the subject.

When the two men walked in, they saw the pharaoh, sitting on his throne as usual, but what really caught their attention was the princess sitting beside the pharaoh, she was a breathtaking sight.

The Romans did not know that the pharaoh had prepared a surprise for them, Egypt was known for the life that the city brings in the day; Mensah had hoped that by letting the Romans see that, they would consider a more peaceful resort to settle their dispute. Because he, like his daughter, despises war and bloodshed.

Akana was brought alone for the tour because the Egyptian people loved their princess, she had always been known as the levelheaded one, and since the pharaoh did not have a crown queen, she advised her father in certain political matters. The Egyptians saw her as the female power figure, since there was no queen.

The pharaoh had ordered three chariots, one for him and his personal guards, the second one was for Akana, and the third one was for the Romans.

Atilius looked at the golden chariots, wondering if they were made out of real gold. He knew that the pharaoh's chariot was, but as for the princess and his, he thought that they were just gold on the outside, however, he couldn't complain, the chariots were the most unique thing he'd ever seen.

As everyone gets to their place, he noticed that the princess did not have many guards.

"Theo, you wouldn't mind riding with that beautiful princess would you?" Theo looked over to the prince, dumbfound. "It's just that she does not have a lot of guard like the Egyptian king does, and I think that if I put you to protect her the king would see this as a peace offering." Before Theo could get a word out Atilius already patted him on the shoulder and went over to the pharaoh to suggest his idea, by the looks on the pharaoh's face, Theo guessed that he was going to ride with the princess.

* * *

Theo was overtaken by the life in Egypt, the people, there was so many. The life was so busy, there was children running around barefooted playing with toys he'd never seen before, the woman carried huge baskets on top of their heads, they made it look so easy. When they saw the pharaoh and the princess they all stopped in their tracks. Theo had never seen anything like it, the people was bidding hi to their pharaoh, the children was giggling and whispering to one another.

Suddenly Theo sensed something, and everything else turned into a blur.

Akana felt the hot sun on her, she squinted her eyes and waved, smiling, she enjoyed doing this. Seeing all those people's faces, it gave her a feeling she can't explain. Suddenly she noticed a pair of eyes staring at her, it was a Nubian slave, Akana noticed that he had stopped following his mater and all his attention was directed on her. She looked away, paying no attention when suddenly she felt a strong arm pulling her.

Akana fell into Theo, she saw him with his sword in his hand, then she felt her chariot shaking. If it wasn't for Theo's strong grasp she would've fell off the chariot, next thing she knew she heard guards yelling in Egyptian, the crowd was scattering now, some went after the Nubian slave, everything turned into chaos. All she could think about that time was her father, but she couldn't get a look ahead, Theo was holding on tight to her and he blocked her view. Finally, Akana gave up and just rested her heads against his chest.


End file.
